I 




Coinmemoratton of tbc fourtb Centenary 

OF THE 

Diecover^ of america. 



COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL EXPOSITION, MADRID. 



ANCIENT iMEXICAN FEATHER WORK AT THE 
COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL EXPOSI- 
TION AT MADRID. 



BY 



ZELIA NUTTALL. 



From the Report of the Madrid Commission, i8g2. 



s^B*"^" 



WASHINGTON : 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
1895. 



•/VY 



F 1219 
.N967 
Copy 1 



ANCIENT MEXICAN FEATHER WORK AT THE COLUMBIAN 
HISTORICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 



By ZELIA NUTTALL, Delegate of the Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology, Cambridge, 

Mass., U. S. A. 



Since my interest in ancient Mexican feather work was stimulated, 
some years ago, by the quaintly illustratid Laurentian manuscript of 
Sahagun's Historia, I have made efforts t o ascertain how many repre- 
sentativ^e specimens of this peculiar indigenous art are in existence at 
the present day. 

In 1890 I submitted to the members of the International Congress 
of Americanists, assL'mbled in Paris, a description and colored photo- 
graphs of a beautiful specimen of native feather work that I had dis- 
covered in Florence, and expressed at the same time the hope to learn 
of similar relics elsewhere. Although my hope was not realized before 
the opening of the exhibition at Madrid, I fully expected that this 
would draw forth from obscurity some fine samples of the curious art. 
My expectations, on the whole, were not realized, and I was obliged to 
assume that, as such relics were not forthcoming on this momentous 
occasion, they probably did not exist. As the majority of specimens 
known were, however, assembled in the exhibition, in the original, or 
in counteri)art, I was afforded at all events an unprecedented oppor- 
tunity for making a review of the remnants tliat have thus far escaped 
destruction. 

The present report, which I have amplified by references to all relics 
of the kind that have come uuder my notice during my researches in 
European museums, alms at being a complete inventory of all speci- 
mens of ancient Mexican feather work, datiug from the sixteenth and 
seventeenth centuries, known to be in existence at the present day. 
As such it may not only prove useful for future reference, but also 
stimulate an interest which may lead to the discovery of further speci- 
mens. 

The only original pieces of Mexican feather work, dating from about 
I the time of tbe Conquest, contained in the whole exhibition, were the 
I two shields belonging to the Eoyal Museum at Stuttgart. These were 
I displayed in the section of the Imperial German Government, and 
I their presence deserves appreciative recognition. 



329 



330 COLUMBIAN HrSTORICAL EXPOSITION AT MAimU,. 

, «„e copy or '^zz:;zz:z:t^s:'s:^.^ 

:e;:tbad/rMexL at t„e iusta.u-e of «,c iU-.atea Emperor Ma... 

Amougtbe object. '^l]'^'^\XtX:t^M discovered by tt,e 
*<'"--.''Sf;:rtrCaBtet Imbral, Tyol. Bincc tben it and 
writer in 18"«. '^^ "^ rdVcrhave been transferred to tbe Imperial 
other ancient Mexican reiicb nave u section. Ids- 

X;zi;:i;::::p.'^-=:^=p---"--"- 

have been published', belong to the category rf gala shields, su.h 

ster: probably a coyote, -^-se eyes c,a^, e '. ^^^'^^, 
marked by thin pieces or strips ot gokl, applieu 

"";r;;;™babiUties are that this, as well as the otber three shields was 
a„fo';::\he presents sent by ^of^^^^Z^V^^iZZf 

r;« dated^ .;.. in th. -e -—----: 
n:ro ■ itdL:: /, L r i .vi;,o:ies, .hen it had lost . part ot its 
ri^:; rotr it was described as au ^l-'; ,„^;:— "S 
described respectivelybj^differen^^vr^^ 

7- , rH„,.l,.t,ttM Ueljer alt-mesikanis.lie Reli.iuien, Wieo, 1884. 

iSce Fcr.lniatKl von Hoclistettei, ueuer ' . , g^5j„„halt, 1891, p. 

ZcUaNattall,Vcrha„,llnngc. clerBerlmcra.ftoiK. V^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ 

485. Al,o articlo» " Oh ancient MeKuan slueU^ „^ VH, C Franz H ger, Alt- 
•ionales Aroliiv tiiv Etl.nogiapluo E.and V, 1892, ana > u i=.; 

;;r4 ,.he EeU.,nien an» ,le„, S^W-^^t^er/erM^ire Naial. tcno III, 

:Seer.M.,a,^p.l,Xnr,e.-Ortega,p.28^ A^^^^^^^ ^^, ^^ ^,„ , 

Lt:i.,1Sl,Vm;SlCtS,"r''"L%'.;fzei.:..l...E..n„lo.ie,He^ 
II, p. U4. 



Columbian Historical Exposition at Madrid. - Nuttall, 



Plate II. 



if.'V- . . 




Obverse of Ancient Mexican Feather Fan. 

Preserved at Castle Aiiibras, Tyrol. 



Columbian Historical Exposition at Madiid — Nuctall 



Plate III. 




Reverse of Ancient Mexican Feather Fan. 
Preserved at Castle Anibras, Tyrol. 



COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 331 

My study of the question led me to adopt the identification before 
1596 at a time when tlie feather piece was complete, and when infor- 
mation concerning its purpose could be obtained at first hand. 

In the United States section of the exhibition a picture, copied from 
a native manuscript, was exhibited by me. It represeuted a person- 
age wearing- a headdress identical in form and general character with 
the Vienna original. In the Austrian section the picture of this relic 
published by Ferdinand von Hochstetter, was displayed in one of the 
cases. This was the only visible record of the existence of ancient 
Mexican relics in the imperial museums at Vienna. 

Nevertheless, they possess a larger number of fine specimens of Mexi- 
can and Hispano-Mexican feather work than any other museum in 
Europe or America. Besides the magnificent headdress and the 
Ambras shield, the Imperial Ethnographical Museum owns the curious 
native fan, dating from the time of' the Conquest, which I also discov- 
ered at the castle of Ambras (Pis. II and III). Two other contemporary 
relics, not represented at the exhibition, complete the list of known 
specimens. The first is the interesting " delantal," or native apron, 
intended to be suspended from the neck, belonging to the Eoyal Ethno- 
graphi(ial Museum at Berlin, This has been described by Dr. Ed. 
Seler in his valuable contribution published in the Eapport du Congres 
International des Americanistes, Paris, 1890, p. 401. 

The second is the mantle "of Montezuma," preserved at the Eoyal 
Museum of Armoury at Brussels, where I saw it in 1888. It is chiefly 
comj)osed of scarlet feathers, and these are attached to a network by a 
series of knots. This nnique specimen has been described by Sei5or 
Nunez-Ortega and Dr. Ed. Seler in their respective publications already 
cited. 

These relics complete the inventory of all of the specimens of purely 
indigenous feather work whose existence and whereabouts are known. 
Unless it should receive unforeseen additions, it shows that of the 
many hundreds of similar trophies which were sent to Europe by the 
Conquerors, there survive only: Four shields, 1 lieaddress, 1 fan, 1 
apron, and 1 mantle; 8 pieces in all, 5 of which were represented at 
the Madrid Exposition. 

The age and rarity of these relics undoubtedly render them extremely 
valuable from an ethnological standpoint. A critical examination 
reveals, however, that although admirable in workmanship and very 
effective, they scarcely testify to such an extraordinary degree of 
technical skill or artistic taste as to justify the panegyrics bestowed 
upon this branch of native industry by the Spanish chroniclers. 

Thus, Fray Toribio de Motolinia wrote that newcomers in Mexico 
from Spain or Italy remained open-mouthed in amazement on seeing, 
for the first time, the exquisite work of the Amantecas, who reproduced 
with facility and utmost perfection in feather mosaic, any painting or 
design given them to copy.^ 

' Historia de los ludios de Nueva Espana, ed. Izcabalceta, p. 68. 



332 COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 

Fray Geromino de Mendieta, also writing at the close of the sixteenth 
century, relates that — 

What seems to surpass the genius of mau was the native art of producing, by means 
of feathers, the same results obtained by the best i)ainters with their brushes and 
colors. Having, nowadays, had ample opportunities of seeing our Avorksof art, the 
faculties (of the Amantecas) have been enlarged and stimulated, and it is a marvel 
with what perfection they exercised their art, so entirely new to us, and produced 
images and pictures worthy of being presented to princes, kings, and sovereign 
pontiffs.' 

From this and further testimony, and a critical examination of 
samples of purely native production enumerated above, it is evident 
that although the art of working in. feathers had long been jjracticed 
in Mexico and had developed a remarkable degree of dexterity, it did 
not reach its highest development until infused with new life by con- 
tact with Spanish art. Motilinia and Mendieta exi^atiate on the wonder- 
ful quickness of perception that characterized the native artisans in 
every branch of industry, and relate many instances of their produc- 
ing counterparts, difficult to distinguish from the originals of European 
manufacture. 

Toward the close of the sixteenth century native art and industry 
attained its highest development in the City of Mexico, under the 
fostering care of the Spanish missionaries who, at that time, zealously 
sought to educate the Indians and took a paternal interest and pride 
in their talents and improvement. It may be a surprise to many to 
learn that a few masterpieces still exist that date from this period, and 
were actually intended to be presented to "princes kings, or sov- 
ereign i>ontifts." 

Having had occasion to examine these carefully, I can testify that 
they fully justify the enthusiasm of the Spanish friars whose words 
of praise have been quoted above. 

A remarkable specimen of feather mosaic, a shield (PI. IV), dating 
fiom this period, was displayed in the historical European exhibition 
toward its close. Tliis shield pertains to the royal collection of 
the Armory, at Madrid, and is reputed to have belonged to Phillip II. 
It is designated as such in the inventory preserved, but no place of 
origin is assigned to it. During my visit to the Eoyal Armory in 
October, 1893, the shield arrested my attention, and I identified it as 
being of Ilispano-Mexican workmanship. Having communicated this 
identification to the distinguished and learned director, Count Valencia, 
he courteously aftorded me every facility for making a close examina- 
tion of the shield and kindly furnished me with photographs and his- 
torical data relating to the battle scenes depicted on its face. As a 
specimen of Hisi)ano Mexican art, it became endowed with a fresh 
interest, and was promptly transferred to the exhibition building, 
where it subsequently attracted much attention. Brief notices of the 
above facts appeared m a Madrid paper, and in Science, January 3, 

' Historia Ecclesiastica Indiana, ed. Izcabalceta, p. 405. 



Columbian Historical Exposition at Madrid. — Nuttall 



Plate IV. 




Mexican Feather Mosaic Shield of Philippe II. 

The subjects are : The couquest of Granada, 1492 ; the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, 1212 ; battle 
of Lepanto, 1571, and the battle of Muhlber^, 1547. 

Original in the Royal Armory, Madrid. 



COLUMBIAN HISTOKICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 333 

1893, but no detailed description and illustration of the shield lias 
since been published. 

It is a large ''adarga." of the peculiar, rounded, heart-shaped, form 
that was originally Moorish, but was adopted by the Spaniards in the 
sixteenth century and generally used by their mounted lancers. It is 
made of stout leather, with ribs of cane, and may have been manufac- 
tured in Spain and sent to Mexico to be only decorated there. On the 
other hand, it may be a clever imitation of a Spanish shield made by a 
native artisan, a fact that would have enhanced its value as a curiosity. 
The design, executed in the tiniest of feathers and covering the entire 
face of the shield, shows artistic merit, and is undoubtedly of Spanish 
origin. A broad and beautiful border of rich arabesque design sur- 
rounds the field, which displays four divisions, each containing an his- 
torical scene. These represent the four memorable victories gained 
by the Spaniards. The first is the battle of ^'las Navas," fought 
under Alfonso Till, in 1212; the second, the entry into Granada by 
Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. In the third, the battle of Muhlberg, 
which took place in 1547, the Emperor, Charles V, is represented on 
horseback, in the foreground, in precisely the same attitude and armor 
as in his famous equestrian portrait by Titian, a fact proving that the 
artist who designed the decoration of the shield must have copied from 
the latter original. 

The fourth scene shows the naval victory of Lepanto, with both fleets 
in action, and the Spanish conqueror, John of Austria, receiving hom- 
age from the vanquished Moors. As this event transpired in 1571, 
durin-g the reign of Phillij) II, the reputed possessor of the shield, a clue 
to its age is afforded by this date. 

A curious allegorical group occupies the center of its field and con- 
sists of two herons, wearing royal crowns, one bird in a passive attitude, 
the other, smaller in size, advancing with outstretched wings and peck- 
ing at a recumbent wounded dragon, near to which is a smaller reptile. 
This curious group is surmounted by a scroll bearing the device, " Serae. 
spes. Unas, senectae." I was informed by Count de Valencia that 
this, translated, signifies "The only hope of declining age," and that 
the group represents the Eoman Catholic faith (symbolized by one 
heron), defended by the Spanish Monarch (symbolized by the fighting 
bird), against infidelity and heresy (represented under the form of the 
dragon and smaller reptile). 

A close study of the group and the motto on the scroll leads me to 
give the allegorical device a slightly different interpretation, and to 
conclude that, though made during the lifetime of Phillip II, the shield 
was destined for his only son and heir, for the latter was the sole 
person to whom the motto could apply, and therefore be aijpropriately 
inscribed on his shield. It should be borne in mind that Phillip II 
died in 1598, at the age of 71, and was succeeded by the only surviving 
offspring of his four marriages, Phillip III, aged 21. 



334 COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 

The devotion of Phillip II to the Eoman Catholic Church, the zeal 
with which he persecuted all heretics, his virulent persecutions of the 
Moriscoes, and his care to cultivate these traits in his youug son, are 
well known, Phillip II must, indeed, have regarded his youthful heir 
as his only hope, and intrusted the latter with the prosecution of his 
ardent desire, the extirpation of infidelity and heresy in his realm. The 
banishment of the Moors, which had already been decreed by Charles 
V, was, indeed, carried into execution by Phillip III in 1600. In judg- 
ing of this cruel deed it should be realized that Phillip III only ful- 
filled thereby the long-cherished desire not only of his father but also 
of his grandfather, and that the action was therefore the natural out- 
come of family traditions and influences. 

All facts considered incline to the belief that the motto refers directly 
to the young infant, Phillip of Spain, and that it is he who figures on 
the shield under the form of the smaller heron attacking the monster, 
Infidelity, The larger bird, in a passive attitude, might readily repre- 
sent Pliillii> II, the hereditary defender of the Eoman Catholic faith. 
This inference is further corroborated by the fact that both birds wear 
the same form of serrated royal crowns, which would scarcely be the 
case if one of the herons typified the Church, Moreover, the motto 
could not possibly have applied to Phillip II unless bestowed upon him 
by his father, and the latter died in 1558, thirteen years earlier than the 
battle of Lepanto which figures on the shield. 

The manufacture of this interesting relic must be assigned to the 
period between the victory at Lepanto (1571) and the death of Phillip 
II, in 1598, Its actual preservation is a matter of wonder and con- 
gratulation, more especially when it is realized how narrowly it escaped 
destruction in 1814, when a disastrous fire broke out in the Royal 
Armory, When rescued from this by Count de Valencia it was much 
disfigured by smoke and soot, and the removal of these revealed that 
the velvety surface had permanently lost the remainder of its former 
luster. Scant traces of humming-bird feathers are left to testify to the 
lost splendor of the rich border. Fortunately, the battle scenes are 
comparatively uninjured, and are of such exquisite, minute, and perfect 
mosaic work that even in its present condition the shield deserves to 
be termed a marvel of human ingenuity and technical skill. 

It has a rival in the beautiful bishop's miter that belongs to the royal 
treasury in the Pitti Palace at Florence, and is in a remarkable and 
almost i>erfect state of preservation. Visitors to the United States 
section of the exhibition were able to form an idea of the original from 
the miniature copies partly executed in metallic colors that I exhibited 
there. The front and back of the miter and its pendants are entirely 
covered with an extremely rich design of a religious character, executed 
in feather mosaic. The design is evidently the work of a Spaniard, for 
the names of the apostles and i)atriarchs depicted around the border 
are in the Spanish language. At a first glance it might be supposed 



COLUMBIAN HISTOKICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 335 

that the miter was either enameled or on copper, painted on velvet or 
silk, but an indescribably beautiful and novel effect is produced by the 
employment of a background entirely composed of the wing- feathers 
with metallic luster that grow on the heads and breasts of tropical luim- 
ming birds. When I first saw the precious relic and made inquiries 
about its age and origin I was informed by the custodian in charge that 
it dated from the seventeenth century and had belonged to a cardinal 
or pope of the Medici family.^ 

Ko documentary evidence seems, however, to be obtainable. The 
indication given leads, however, to the conclusion that the miter 
belonged to the Cardinal ^lessandro do Medici, a native of Florence, 
who died in 1605, a few weeks after his consecration as Pope Leo XI. 

The relic is thus assigned to the same period as the Madrid shield, 
and the comparison between the workmanship of each seems to indi 
cate that they were both made by the same hand. 

A second miter, apparently of the same style of design and execu- 
tion, is preserved at the Kunsthistorisches Hofmuseum at Vienna. I 
recently learned of its existence by a mere chance, and I believe that 
this is not generally known. 

In his article cited above, Hochstetter mentions that he first found 
the ancient Mexican feather piece, which he identified as a standard, 
"next to a bishop's miter" in a museum case. 

Beyond this bare mention I know of no publication in which the miter 
figures. Not having visited Vienna since I learned of its i^reservation 
there, I am indebtCLl to the kindness of a scientific friend for the fol- 
lowing data concerning it. The relic is displayed in Case IV, hall 23, 
is entered as No. 48, in the official general catalogue, wherein it was 
described as follows : 

Miter, of Hispano-Mexican workmanship, covered with a mosaic composed of 
humming-bird feathers. On the obverse the genealogical tree of Christ is repre- 
sented. The reverse displays a rosebush with the apostles and a crucifix issuing 
forth from its flowers. 

In the special catalogue of the same year, 1891, the following valua- 
ble detail is added : 

The Avord Buenagia, meaning Good Eoad and being the motto of the Spanish 
D'Avila family, occurs in each of the pendants above the embroidered arms of a car- 
dinal. With the exception of these arms that are embroidered in silks, the entire 
miter is of feather mosaic. 

In the above catalogues no date is assigned to the miter, but it 
seemingly belongs to the Ambras collection and consequently ante- 
dates 1595, 

It seems as though, after having been made in Mexico, the miter was 
only assigned to an owner when it reached Europe, for the embroidered 
arms could not have formed part of the original design, and must have 

iSeeZelia Nuttall, Oiivrages en plumes du Mexique. Rapport du Congres des 
Americanistes, Paris. 1890, p. 460. 



336 COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 

been an unforeseen and necessary addition made at a later period with 
means at hand. 

Toward the period to which the miter evidently belongs, two distin- 
guished membersof the D'Avila family held high ecclesiastical positions 
in Spain, but thus far I have not succeeded in ascertaining whether 
either of them attained cardinalship. 

Sancho d'Avila, born at Avila in Old Castile in 1540, was consecu- 
tively bishop of Murcia,Jaen, Sagonte, and Placentia, and died in 1625. 

(lil Gonzalez d'Avila was born at Avila in 1559 (according to Cham- 
bers' Encyclopedia), or in 1578 (according to Oettinger, Moniteur des 
dates), and died in 165S. He was a Jesuit, a canon of Salamanca and, 
moreover, royal historiographer for Castile and the Indies. He wrote 
many voluminous works, the best known of which is perhaps the Teatro 
Ecclesiastics de la primitiva Iglcsia de las Indias Occidentales (Madrid, 
1649-1G56). Although these facts do not suffice to establish the indi- 
vidual ownership of the mitcr, they certainly reveal an interesting con- 
nection between the D'Avila family, the Church, and Mexico. It will 
be interesting to ascertain how and when the miter came into the pos- 
session of Archduke Ferdinand, who was one of the most indefatigable 
collectors and curiosity hunters of his time. 

The three Jiistorical relics that have been described are probably speci- 
mens of the iinest feather mosaic produced in Mexico at the culmi- 
nating period, when the best native workers were employed in copying 
beautiful designs made by Spanish artists. A high form of decorative 
art was thus developed, the i)roductions of which rival a miniature on 
vellum for delicacy of execution and combining the beauties of a silky, 
smooth surface like that of velvet, with a metallic brilliancy of color 
and iridescence resembling that of the Limogec! enamels. When strictly 
confined and applied to decorative purposes, as in these specimens, the 
native art of painting with feathers afltbrds even now artistic gratifica- 
tion and evokes admiration and approval. The same can not be said 
of the curious reproductions of Spanish paintings, usually pictures of 
saints, which became a favorite and staple production of the native 
artists. A few samples of this kind were exhibited in the Mexican sec- 
tion of the exhibition, and consisted of a series of finely-executed copies 
of Spanish pictures of saints, and a large archaic head of Christ of 
native design and coarse execution. 

I was informed that these were probably the oldest existing speci- 
mens preserved in Mexico, and that they had recently been discovered 
in an old xn^ovincial church. 

The only specimen of the kind in Europe to which a date can safely 
be assigned, are those which originally belonged to the Ambras collec- 
tion, and consequently antedate 1596. One of these, representing St. 
Jerome and the lion in the desert, is still preserved at the Castle of 
Ambras, and attention was drawn to it in my publication on "Ancient 
Mexican shields." 



COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 337 

Two Other pictures representing a Madonna and St. Peter before 
Christ are now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum at Vienna, and are 
numbered 24 and 25 in the general catalogue. 

The Eoyal Ethnographical Museum in Berlin and Mr. Phillip 
Bectier (?), of Darmstadt, possess some fine examples of the kind. It 
would be difficult to determine the precise age of the majority of these 
curiosities of technical skill, as the native art has never become extinct 
in Mexico, and is even practiced to the present day. Unfortunately 
whereas the best and apparently oldest specimens are painstaking 
copies of excellent originals, the more modern productions show a steady 
deterioration of ivorkmanship, taste, and design. A painful contrast 
to earlier productions is the meritorious but utterly inartistic histor- 
ical relic that occupied a conspicuous place in the National Museum of 
the City of Mexico, and is described in the catalogue as "Arms of 
the Republic of Mexico, surrounded by trophies, composed of feathers 
in imitation of the old native feathers-mosaic work by Seiior Jose Eod- 
riguez, who presented it to the congress in 1829." 

A brief summary of the present report establishes that there exists 
at the present day eight fine specimens of purely native work, dating 
from the time of the Conquest. The exhibition contained the origi- 
nals of two and copies of three of these. Of the three masterpieces of 
Hispano-Mexican art preserved, one was exhibited in original and 
another in. copy. 

Moreover, reproductions of paintings by means of feathers were also 
displayed, and thus the exhibition afforded unprecedented opportuni- 
ties for the study of the different branches of the peculiar art of work- 
ing in feathers, invented and practiced by the aborigines of Mexico. 
H. Ex. 100 22 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 



III III 

016 241 106 8 



\ 



